Holden is a leading expert on parenting, discipline and family violence. He strongly advocates against corporal punishment and cites overwhelming research, including his own, that has demonstrated that spanking is not only ineffective, but also harmful to children, and many times leads to child abuse. Continue reading →

Teen girls were less likely to report being sexually victimized after learning to assertively resist unwanted sexual overtures and practicing resistance in a realistic virtual environment, finds a new study.

The effects persisted over a three-month period following the training, said clinical psychologist Lorelei Simpson Rowe, lead author on the pilot study from Southern Methodist University, Dallas. Continue reading →

New York’s Daily News reported on the research of SMU social psychologist Andrea L. Meltzer led a series of studies that found that telling women that men desire larger women who aren’t model-thin made the women feel better about their own weight.

Findings suggest a woman’s body image is strongly linked to her perception of what she thinks men prefer.

The researchers found that how women perceive men’s preferences influenced each woman’s body image independent of her actual body size. Continue reading →

The popular news site Huffington Post reported on the research of SMU social psychologist Andrea L. Meltzer led a series of studies that found that telling women that men desire larger women who aren’t model-thin made the women feel better about their own weight.

Findings suggest a woman’s body image is strongly linked to her perception of what she thinks men prefer. The researchers found that how women perceive men’s preferences influenced each woman’s body image independent of her actual body size. Continue reading →

HealthDay writer Robert Preidt reported on the research of SMU social psychologist Andrea L. Meltzer for the news site U.S. News & World Report. Meltzer led a series of studies that found that telling women that men desire larger women who aren’t model-thin made the women feel better about their own weight.

The findings suggest a woman’s body image is strongly linked to her perception of what she thinks men prefer. The researchers found that how women perceive men’s preferences influenced each woman’s body image independent of her actual body size.Continue reading →

The Atlantic reported on the research of SMU psychologist Andrea Meltzer, lead author on a new series of studies that found that telling women that men desire larger women who aren’t model-thin made the women feel better about their own weight.

Results suggest a woman’s body image is strongly linked to her perception of what she thinks men prefer. The researchers found that how women perceive men’s preferences influenced each woman’s body image independent of her actual body size and weight. Continue reading →